Captain Hogwarts
by swimkitching
Summary: Crossover between Harry Potter and Avengers, with the Harry Potter characters gaining super powers (along with their magic). The changes start small but get larger as the story diverges from the original. No Avengers characters are in it. Any reviews or comments are appreciated. Harry/Ginny, Hermione/Ron, Dean/Seamus, others.
1. Chapter 1 A Dinner to Remember

Neville Longbottom - A Dinner to Remember

It was a cloudy and dismal day in London; but no one felt quite as dismal as Neville Longbottom. His nerves were frayed from the stress of a rapidly impending deadline. He had mere weeks to prove himself not a squib.

"Neville!"

"…..Neville! You better come down and help me prepare dinner! Algie, Enid, Molly, and Arthur will be here soon and I will not have you hiding upstairs all evening," his grandmother called from downstairs.

"Coming, Gran!" He called back, getting up. As he climbed down the stairs, his eyes were drawn to the arrangement of photos hung along the wall. All past Longbottoms.

 _The Longbottom's have always been a Gryffindor family; proud, brave, and daring. You have a lot to live up to little one!_

He could practically hear is grandmother lecturing him. Looking at the photos, the faces of adventurers, inventors, and leaders looked back at him. Most smiled, moving only slightly in their frame. When he was younger he thought the people in the frames were the same as ghosts, and that he could speak to his actual ancestors. But this was not true. It was just magic. His real predecessors were at rest and would never see him. He would never get to ask the questions lingering in his mind. Would they be disappointed in him? Here he was, 10 years old, a Longbottom, with not a wisp of magic.

 _The first squib in a century!_

He shook his head and continued down the stairs, trying to distance himself from that thought, the one that had been running through his mind for weeks.

BREAK

"… and then cut the onions diagonally so the flavour-"

The ring of the doorbell interrupted his grandmother's cooking lesson.

"I'll get it," he offered politely, moving to the door. A flash of orange through the window let him know instantly who had arrived.

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," he greeted, opening the door.

"Hello, Neville!" said Mr. Weasley slapping him warmly on the back.

"Great to see you, Neville!" Mrs. Weasley greeted, grasping him in a signature Mrs. Weasley hug. She looked down at him, "I swear you and Ron are going to be as tall as the doorframe soon!"

She and Mr. Weasley headed toward the kitchen to greet his grandmother. He started to close the door when a gruff voice called from outside, "leave it open".

Coming up the brick laden path was his great-uncle Algie and great-aunt Enid. Algie held a slim black cane that was speckled with red, hints of his Hogwarts alliance of years past. Enid was holding a bottle, presumably wine for the dinner.

"Hi Uncle Algie and Aunt Enid, can I take your coats?" he offered immediately, returning the hug from his great-aunt.

"Not when Augusta keeps this damn house as cold as Azkaban," Algie replied gruffly, moving past him and setting his hat on the shelf. Enid rolled her eyes and continued down the hall towards the kitchen. Neville's attention returned to the disgruntled Algie.

"Where is Peg?" Algie asked, irritated.

"Umm, she passed away a couple months ago…." Neville said awkwardly, looking at his feet. Peg had not bared any children, and so unless they purchased a new house elf, would be the last of the Longbottom house elves.

"Oh," Algie said looking uncomfortable. He opened his mouth to say something, maybe apologise, but nothing came out. Neville swore he heard his uncle mumble "she was a good house elf," while shuffling toward the kitchen, but he couldn't be sure.

BREAK

After the last dish was dried and the adults moved to the living room, Neville attempted to retreat to his room for the night. He failed. Gesturing for him to follow, Algie began leading him upstairs to their attic.

"Come on boy, there's something for you to see" Algie said, not looking back to see if Neville was following.

It was a dark attic. Forgetful in her old age, Peg likely didn't clean this room often, and the additional months since her death hadn't helped. Algie uncovered a large window in the corner and opened it. The fresh air blew in and some dust blew out, but the room was still dim. Casting a Lumus spell, Algie pulled out a small glass jar and blew the dust off. A strange green powder was visible within.

"Augusta told me that you still have not shown your magic" his uncle commented, unscrewing the jar and removing a spoon.

"Not yet…." Neville responded shyly, "I've still got a couple weeks…." He trailed off quietly, unsure.

"Here," his uncle handed him the jar and the small spoon. "Your great-great grandmother Victoria invented this. One spoonful should activate any magic you have."

Gingerly Neville took a spoonful. As he attempted to eat the powder, he made the mistake of breathing in. Coughing up both powder and dust, he started to move to the window for fresh air. Algie hit him on his back to help him clear his lungs. Unfortunately these actions occurred at the same time. Tripping forward, Neville and the jar rapidly flew into the window, with only Algie's grip on his ankle keeping him from falling out.

"Do you feel any different?" Algie questioned, as though his great-nephew wasn't hanging out the window by his ankles. Neville continued to cough while holding the jar, the powder now covering his face. Suddenly a yell from Enid came from downstairs.

"WHO WANTS MERINGUE?"

He was only vaguely aware that he was falling. He barely registered that his landing was much lighter than expected and that the brick path underneath was badly damaged.

But he did notice that he was taller and stronger.

That he was now bright green.

And that he was very angry.

Algie had tried to kill him.

A small voice tried to argue that it was an accident. But that was tiny Neville, he was easy to silence.

"Neville, is that you?" a male voice behind him asked.

Fists forming he spun around, finding only two words.

"MIMB ANGRY!"


	2. Chapter 2 A Magical Entrance

Hey guys! People seem to like this so far, so I'll try to update quickly. I won't spoil any of the other powers yet! Once again any reviews, comments, questions, suggestions, favorites, etc. are appreciated!

Also – in this fic Ginny and Ron are twins, so she'll be in the golden trio's year. Luna will be as well.

Neville – A Magical Entrance

A single ray of light shone into Neville's room. He watched the dust within the beam swirl through the air, peacefully; uncaring if and where it landed. Most certainly it would settle, given the state of various items across the room. The room itself was nearly silent, only disturbed by his quiet breaths.

Mimb hated the silence.

Neville knew he did. The angry spirit within him was rarely quiet. It was kind of ironic, he thought, the green beast within him could not beat something as "weak" as silence. When he was at peace, Mimb was at his weakest.

A knock broke into his thoughts.

"Neville," a voice called hesitantly, "we have to head for the express soon, are you ready?"

It was Gran. She was nervous; both for him and of him. Did she hate him? Great-uncle Algie now lay in the hospital because of him.

 _Yet another family member lay in St. Mungo's because of him._ He closed his eyes clearing the dark thoughts from his mind.

Another knock.

"Neville?" Gran repeated, worried.

"Be out in a second," he called back, finally shifting out of bed. Blocking out the negative thoughts might be easier during the excitement of starting his first year at Hogwarts. He grabbed his trunk and his toad, Trevor, and headed out.

BREAK

It truly was an exciting time for all 11 year old witches and wizards. As he and his grandmother moved about the Platform; hundreds of students were greeting each other and casting random magic with glee, finally free of the summer time restriction. He palmed his wand nervously, _stay calm,_ he thought desperately.

Truthfully, as long as he could keep his calm, his fellow students would never find out about Mimb. This was one of the many dark elements of pureblood society. They kept secrets very well. Neville never imagined he would be part of a pureblood cover-up story, but yet here he was. Algie would never say who attacked him, even as he lay paralyzed in his hospital bed, unlikely to ever recover. Although they rejected many of the parts of pureblood society, the Weasleys would not talk either.

As they passed by some train cars, Neville saw Ginny and a black-haired boy lifting a trunk into a car. Not wanting to get in their way, he continued on. Neville waved to Susan Bones and Ernie Macmillan, and opened an empty compartment and set Trevor down, as Gran magicked is trunk overhead. He and his grandmother embraced, and Neville found his nerves reappearing.

Gran seemed to sense his fear. "You'll be fine, just work hard, don't forget to write….." she said beginning to ramble different advice about Hogwarts that she had said many times before.

She embraced him again, "I love you, see you at Christmas."

"Love you too, Gran," he said back smiling. She left the compartment. Only brief solitary moment occurred before Susan, Ernie, and a bushy haired girl entered. She seemed to be talking about Hogwarts houses and the sorting process. Their patience with her also seemed to be waning.

"…. And then they test you…"

"Hey, Neville!" Susan and Ernie greeted him, "You mind if we sit with you?"

"Hey guys, go ahead," he answered cheerfully. Just then the train jolted and started chugging forward.

"Hi, I'm Hermione Granger, what house do you think you'll be in? I think Ravenclaw or Gryffindor would be great, Gilderoy Lockhart was Ravenclaw, and of course Dumbledore was in Gryffindor, but I'm not really sure how much house choice really affects your chance of success. Apparently wand core might impact success too, but experts aren't sure set. What wand core do you have? I've got dragon heartstring." She said this all in one breath.

"Umm….," he said, Neville wasn't sure how to respond.

Ernie saved him with a quick question, "Neville, how's your toad doing?"

"Oh he's….." He looked beside him and checked his pockets. _Not again_. "I can't find him!" he cried out.

"Oh, don't worry! I'll help you find him! Here, I'll go ask around other compartments. You should check your trunk too, maybe you put him in there," Hermione said confidently.

After they checked his trunk and found no toad, she hurried out of the compartment. Neville stood to head in the other direction, but Ernie and Susan stopped him.

"Wait, Neville," Susan said looking guilty. She opened her purse and took out his toad.

"You hid him? Why?" he questioned, confused. "We should go find Hermione, then."

"No, Neville….." Ernie said hesitant, "….Look Neville, she was driving us crazy, she keeps showing off about everything…. We just need a break, okay?"

"I guess…. It's kind of mean though," he said not wanting to upset his friends.

"Yeah, I guess…." Susan mumbled. They looked out the window and a new uncomfortable silence lingered between the three of them. It was going to be an awkward train ride.

BREAK

Hours later they arrived. Surprisingly Hermione never returned to their compartment, Neville assumed she must have gotten distracted by a new group of people to talk too. There wouldn't be much else to do on a train anyways.

It was dark at the station, and in the chaos of the platform, Neville became separated from Ernie and Susan, and found himself on a boat with a black boy, a boy with a strong Irish accent, and a blonde girl he recognized as Luna Lovegood. The two boys were deep in conversation about muggle sports, so he turned to Luna.

"Hello, Neville, are you excited for the sorting? I wonder how many Wrackspurts are in the hat. I bet there are thousands," she said dreamily.

Neville knew better than ask about what Wrackspurts were.

"I guess, I'll probably get Hufflepuff though," he replied glumly. What would his Gran think, him being a Hufflepuff? _What does it matter? She already hates you_. He nearly flinched at the thought. Luna looked concerned at his expression.

"I'm sure any of the houses will be nice, Neville," she said back with a small smile. Neville nodded back, unconvinced.

But he was quickly distracted by ever nearing sight in front of him. All four on the boat became silent, basking in the majesty that was the Hogwarts Castle. Despite the darkness it was still incredible; everything about it, even the small glimpses of fire shining through the windows, projected a magical air that none of them had ever felt before.

Exiting the boats, the two boys hurried past them wanting to get to the front of the group and see the castle. He and Luna hung back a bit and stared up at the massive building.

"Can you see the top?" Luna asked, "I've heard at the top rests of a massive thunderbird that escaped a sanctuary in the states."

He began to say why he thought that was unlikely, when a voice behind them interrupted him.

"Hurry up, you lot, or you'll miss the sortin'," It was a massive man who said this. He was at least ten feet tall and sported a beard Neville thought he fit into.

"Sorry, Hagrid!" Luna said happily. They headed up the stairs to catch up with their classmates. Neville looked at her questioningly. "He helped Daddy a while back with his research on heliopaths," she explained quickly.

An older woman clad in tartan was speaking to the students, "…..in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." A tense hush broke over the first years and she re-entered the hall, leaving the group.

The quiet moment was broken by an argument occurring at the front of the group. Neville recognized three of the voices, the youngest Weasley twins, Ginny and Ron, and Draco Malfoy, but the fourth was the black haired boy from the platform, that he didn't know.

He couldn't hear them very well, but Neville didn't have to hear to know what they were arguing about. The Malfoys and Weasleys were about as opposite as one could get in the pureblood community. Being vocal supporters of the minority class, muggle-borns, the Weasleys were considered to be "Blood Traitors". This put them at odds with the Malfoys, who didn't want any muggle-borns in the wizarding community.

Thankfully the feud ended without blood as the doors opened into the Great Hall.

It was happening.

The Sorting was about to begin.


	3. Chapter 3 An Unexpected Sorting

Hey guys! Had to re-upload this chapter, hope you all enjoy. As usual, any likes, reviews, comments, questions, concerns, suggestions, etc. are appreciated.

Neville – An Unexpected Sorting

The big moment was finally here. The group of 1st years headed down the long tables, all looking at the mass of stars and floating candles which was the Great Hall's ceiling. The older students whispered as they walked in and Neville couldn't help but feel subconscious of his every move.

Mimb rumbled within him, alert, ready for the fight or flight response that would release him. The small group finally reached the end of the hall and stood in front of a stool and its accompanying Sorting Hat.

As Professor McGonagall spoke Neville found himself getting more and more distracted, and more and more nervous. Due to this distraction both her words and the Hat's mysterious song were lost to him. His collar tightened.

 _What if he wasn't magic enough? What if Mimb was an anomaly and he didn't count as a true wizard? He couldn't shame his family this way. He couldn't end up like the countless pureblood squibs, abandoned to the muggle world, never to be heard from again._

As the thoughts swirled in his head, he felt his temperature rise. Mimb was growing desperate and was clawing at his mind, trying to escape.

"Mr. Longbottom!" A voice called through his thoughts, breaking Mimb's grip and sending him back to Earth. Some older students giggled quietly.

"Mr. Longbottom, would you care to join us please?" Professor McGonagall asked curtly, clearly irritated with his lack of attention.

He tentatively approached the Hat. _Don't trip. Don't trip. Don't trip._

Placing the Hat on his head, all the noises of the Great Hall disappeared, and a new voice made itself heard to him alone.

"Neville Longbottom, is it? Hmmm, your parents were both wonderful fits for Gryffindor, but would you….." the Hat paused. "Who else is here?! It sounds like the mind of some sort of feral beast."

And with that the green creeped into his vision, clouding his anxious thoughts with those of anger and resentment for the wizarding world.

 _IS MIMB TOO MAGICAL FOR WIZARDS?!_ The voiced yelled furiously.

Mimb's… no… his mind raced, desperate to express all that he had hidden for all the years. Years of being treated like a second class citizen, considered a squib. How was is it in a society with slavery, the worst fate for a pureblood family was birthing a squib. He was not magical enough as Neville, but was he now too magical as Mimb?

He sighed, the irony was strangely calming.

The voice quieted, bitterly grasping at straws, trying to latch onto the residue anger still stirring within.

"Ah," the hat spoke again, "You are surely an interesting young man, aren't you?"

"Please, just choose a house" he silently begged the hat. He could hear the whispers emanating from the long table. He was taking too long!

"Show strength, Neville," the hat said solemnly, "If you can beat that monster, you can beat the other monster in your head".

"What other monster," he asked, confused. "Was there another monster….?"

His thoughts were interrupted by the only word he wanted hear.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

A wave of relief and calm spread. He stumbled away, embarrassment briefly returning as he found himself wandering away with the hat still upon his head. He sat among the other Gryffindors not listening to the quiet whispers still being passed around. _What had the hat meant by the other monster within? What else could be wrong with him?_ His introspective thoughts were broken by the call of the hat once more.

"Ravenclaw!"

He looked toward the front of the hall to see his friend, Luna Lovegood, start skipping toward the Ravenclaw table. It was bittersweet, he was glad she was in the house she had been hoping for, but he had hoped to already have a friend in his house. She waved at him from across the hall and he returned in smiling. Ravenclaws and Gryffindors must occasionally share classes; they wouldn't be separate for long.

The rest of the sorting went by quickly. No one was surprised with Draco Malfoy's sorting; he was the fastest sorting of the group, the hat only brushing his hair before proclaiming Slytherin. The two boys he and Luna had boated in with also were sorted into Gryffindor, Neville learned their names to be Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas. When Dean rejoined Seamus their conversation resumed, only to be quieted by a stern look from Professor McGonagall. Harry Potter and the younger Weasley twins were all, unsurprisingly, sorted into Gryffindor.

Dinner was delicious and very filling, and conversations spread around the table about various topics like the upcoming school year, the summer shenanigans, or as his fellow first years discovered, the existence of partially decapitated ghosts.

But, in what seemed like no time at all, Neville was tucking into his new bed in the first year Gryffindor dormitory. The others fell asleep quickly, likely feeling the effects of a full stomach and a very busy day. Although he wanted to work out what the hat was talking about during the sorting, his eyes became heavy as well. The frayed nerves of day apparently were no match for a large turkey dinner.

BREAK

Neville opened his eyes. The room was dark and cold. The other beds in the dormitory were missing, along with their owners.

"Hello?" he called nervously. "Is anyone there?"

Thud. He was on the floor now, his bed had disappeared. But the thud was not from him… at least not entirely him. He stood up and walked warily toward the sound. Noises from the darkness become louder.

More violent.

A voice yelled its fury at him.

Through him.

A light flashed on.

The empty room was occupied by a singular body mirror. There was writing at the top, "erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi". Maybe it was Latin?

Looking into the mirror, he quickly realized it was magical. Although it was him in the mirror, he wasn't facing himself. Mirror Neville was facing away, leaning over something on the ground in front of him.

Reaching forward, Neville attempted to touch mirror Neville's back. Other Neville turned and stood up straight. He was the same in every way except one. Mirror Neville had bright green eyes that narrowed while looking across at him.

Or at least he was originally looking across at him.

Mirror Neville was growing larger and greener by the second. The green beast before him let out an inhuman yell and Neville fell to the ground in horror.

"MIMB ANGRY! MIMB ANGRY! MIMB ANGRY!" the beast repeated, hitting his fist against the glass. The glass cracked in violent shapes.

Both Neville's and Mimb's eyes were drawn to the longest crack along the center. It was shaped almost like a lightning bolt. One final punch shattered the mirror and Neville closed his eyes and raised his arms to protect his face.

BREAK

Neville woke in a cold sweat, under his heavy maroon comforter. He shook fearfully and rubbed his face. _It was just a dream. It was just a dream_. He repeated to himself.

Glancing around the room, he was relieved to see that his dreams had not disturbed his roommates. He didn't want his secrets to be revealed to people he's known for less than 24 hours. Looking out the window, he saw that the vast grounds of Hogwarts were still very dark. He rolled back over, willing his mind to fall back asleep and no longer think of the dream or the sorting.

But in this task he was unsuccessful.


	4. Chapter 4 A Fresh Pickled Friend

Hey guys, gals, and non-binary pals! Here's the next chapter. We are mixing it up for this one, a brand-new perspective (if you liked Neville, don't worry he'll be back). The story deviates a bit from how the original story went, and these changes will have big repercussions later. Also, I will move forward with the story, this just seemed to be the best place to start Ginny's story. And as always, any comments, suggestions, questions, likes, favs, reviews are appreciated. I love reading other people's perspectives! Anyways, enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 4 A Fresh Pickled Friend

Ginny Weasley had a secret. A poorly kept secret, but a secret none the less. Ever since her mother had told her the story of the Potters and their son Harry, she had had an insufferable crush on the boy. She could tell that her crushing irritated her older brothers who had gotten used to her regular tom-boy like ways. Her mother on the other hand was quick to embrace her more feminine side and had offered to do up her hair for the trip to Hogwarts.

With her hair done up in single braid along her back, she nervously clutched her new journal. Although he never mentioned it, she assumed that her father had snuck the journal into her cauldron. It was a used journal, with the name on the back being Tom Riddle, but thankfully he had not written in it at all. She had planned on writing in it when she and the Weasleys had returned from Diagon Alley, but with all the excitement of her and Ron heading off to Hogwarts for the first time she had forgotten.

Thinking of Hogwarts, she started to picture her new life. Would she and Ron be in Gryffindor? She glanced at her twin, what if they were separated, she wondered.

But her thoughts were interrupted by a quiet voice behind them. A boy, her age, was speaking to her mother, asking how to get onto the platform. _It was Harry Potter!_ She blushed brightly and next to her she heard Ron laugh, having been looking for her reaction.

"Shove off Ron," she said angrily. "It's not funny".

Another pair of voices joined the laughter, the older twins, George and Fred.

"I would say it is quite funny, how about you George?" asked Fred.

"I agree Fred, almost as good as the case of Percy's missing Pinhead badge," replied George in sync.

Fred and George were identical twins and seemed to share a closer connection than herself and Ron. Except for starting Hogwarts together, she and Ron weren't much closer than herself and her other siblings.

"That's enough you four, now get onto the platform before the train leaves," said Percy in a high and mighty tone. He had developed a bit of a big head with his new title as Prefect, and she could tell he was going to enjoy bossing people around once they got on the train. Especially since they would actually have to listen to him.

Percy, Fred, and George quickly made their way through the barrier, followed by a nervous red-eared Ron. She prepared to go through, when her mother called out to her.

"Wait just a moment Ginny. Harry's going to watch you go through the barrier, it's his first time as well," her mother said brightly briefly nodding towards Harry beside her.

Ginny smiled weakly and nodded, language failing her as her face turned beet red once more. She turned and walked confidently toward the platform. Bracing ever so slightly, she emerged on the other side unscathed. Moving forward out of the way of the barrier, she waited for her parents and Harry to make their way through.

SLAM!

Harry had evidently been more nervous than her about crossing because he came through at a full sprint ramming his cart into hers. His snowy owl screeched its anger at being knocked to the floor with the rest of their items.

Getting up quickly he offered his hand to Ginny, "I'm sorry, I may have closed my eyes a bit. Are you hurt?" he asked, clearly embarrassed. She took his hand and laughed, "Don't worry, it'll take more than a trolley hit to take me out."

He laughed, "I'm Harry by the way, Harry Potter."

"Ginny Weasley," she replied. "Do you want to find a compartment, I'm sure we can find my brothers on the train."

He agreed and they gathered their stuff together as her mother and father joined them. With a hug and a kiss from both she departed to the train. She and Harry helped each other lift the suitcases onto the back compartment, both wishing that they knew the spell to lift objects.

Making their way along the train, Ginny noticed some things about Harry. He had bright green eyes and the famed lightning scar flashed across his forehead, somehow still looking fresh after so many years. But also, he was a very thin boy. He had some old bruises on his arms that were still fading. She wondered if he started those fights. His clothes were very large on him, she could recognize hand-me downs better than anyone. But unlike her hand-me downs, the clothes weren't altered by magic to get a better fit. It was clear their previous owner was much larger than Harry, perhaps they were from his male guardian.

Finding an empty compartment and tired of carrying their suitcases, they sat down.

"My brothers will find us eventually," she said as they lifted their suitcases onto the rack.

They sat facing each other. An awkward silence filled the room. _Think Ginny think! What can you talk about?!_

"Uhhh, what quidditch team do you support?" she asked. "I like the Holyhead Harpies."

"I've never seen a quidditch match," he replied.

"Oh, um…." she was rescued by her brothers' entrance. "Sorry to intrude on your date you two, but Ron needs a place to sit," said Fred with a cheeky grin. She glared daggers at him, "it's not a date you prat, Harry and I are just talking."

"Sure, sure little sis," said George. He turned toward Harry, "I'm George and these are my brothers Ron and Fred. Fred and I will be down the hall, Lee's got a tarantula and we got to see it before McGonagall confiscates it." They left. Ron sat down next to her and looked at Harry, glancing at his forehead.

"Is it true, do you really have the scar?" Ron blurted out. She rolled her eyes, this was going to be a long trip.

BREAK

A couple hours into the trip a bushy haired girl knocked on the door to their compartment.

"Have you three seem a toad? A boy a couple compartments up lost his and now we're looking for it. It might be hiding under your seats so we could check there, but I didn't check to see if it was magic toad – I've heard those can hop almost 10 feet, so it may be in the cupboard above your heads." She said in a rushed business-like tone. "I'm Hermione Granger by the way."

Lost, the three of them sat starring at the girl for a moment before Ginny spoke up.

"I'm Ginny Weasley, this is my brother…."

"You're Harry Potter," Hermione interrupted, "I read about you in Modern Magical History! Here, let me fix your glasses, I've been working on this spell for weeks." She pointed her wand at his glasses and said " _Reparo_ ". Removing the tape, Harry revealed the now fixed glasses to the group.

"Yeah, that's me," Harry said looking slightly overwhelmed at the girl's intensity. She nodded and turned expectantly toward Ron.

"Uh… Ron Weasley," he said swallowing some of the candy that Harry had purchased earlier. It was clear to her that Harry and Ron were going to be fast friends, as a quick bribe of free food instantly warmed Ron up to him. Hermione and Ron on the other hand….

Just as it seemed that the compartment was getting a little too full for comfort, three more boys entered.

Ginny recognized the blond boy immediately as Draco Malfoy, the son of the known Death Eater Lucius Malfoy.

"I knew we'd meet each other again, why didn't you tell me you were Harry Potter at Madam Malkin's?" Draco drawled, feigning innocence. "These are my friends, Crabbe and Goyle. You obviously need my help, you're in the company of two blood traitors and a mudblood. I can help you pick out the right people to be associated with."

Harry stood up and glared at the blond, "I think I can decide who's respectable on my own Malfoy. These are my friends and I won't let you talk about them like that. So, I think it's time for you to leave."

It was said that pure blood wizards were to be proper and dignified always. Never engaging in such muggle like activities like fist fighting. But apparently for Draco, this was too much to ask. He lunged forward at Harry, his fist colliding solidly with Harry's face, smashing his glasses across the compartment.

Harry attempted to fight the boy, but being much smaller and thinner, he was quickly overwhelmed by the larger boy.

Ginny saw red and with a yell of anger she tackled Draco to the ground. Punching wildly, she quickly reduced him to tears before being finally pulled off by a very shocked looking Hermione and Ron. The 3 boys left the compartment, Draco crying that his father would get a letter or something.

Ron grabbed Harry's broken glasses and turned to the group.

"I think we're going to need that repairing charm again Hermione."

They all cracked up laughing and returned to the large number of sweet delicacies sitting on the compartment seats.


	5. Chapter 5 A Freefalling Class

Hey everyone, Ginny is back and the adventure continues with chapter 5. Please review, favorite, ask, comment, etc. I love feedback!

Chapter 5 A Freefalling Class

Ginny was sure that she had never been this excited before. A couple weeks into school, and now it was finally time for the class that she had been dreaming of ever since she first stole Bill's broom. Flying lessons.

She and Ron were both reasonably prepared, having flown on brooms made for kids for years (and of course her secret adventures at night). Harry and Hermione, on the other hand, were both noticeably less enthusiastic about this class, being that they had no experience flying.

The only down side to this class was that the Slytherins would be joining them and after their fist fight on the train, Draco's feud with their group only grew larger. He and his crew had been sorted into Slytherin, a house notorious for producing more evil witches and wizards than any other. He was living up to this reputation, offering his racist opinions whenever possible. As well he had taken to bullying Neville Longbottom, a shy Gryffindor boy in her year. Although Harry tried to defend him, their lack of magic knowledge meant that Harry had gotten quite a few new bruises following any interventions with the Slytherin squad.

Hermione was quick to point out a pattern that was quickly emerging from this. First, Draco would pick on Neville. Second, Harry would intervene. Third, Draco and his crew would beat up Harry. And finally, Ron and Ginny would join the fight while Hermione and Neville went for a professor. Hopefully, with the attendance of Madam Hooch, there would be no fights during flying lessons, but Ginny knew better than to bet on that luck.

BREAK

"…. Step up to your brooms and clearly say UP," Madam Hooch lectured. She was a stern woman with strange yellow hawk-like eyes and spiky white hair.

Ginny put her hand over the broom and repeated the incantation.

"UP!"

The broom jumped straight to her hand and she grinned, looking over to her friends. Ron's broom had just wacked him in the face and now he was being told off by Madam Hooch for swearing. Hermione looked irritated, but Ginny couldn't tell if it was from her lack of broom movement or from Ron's outburst. Harry was laughing at Ron while holding the broom in his hand, and upon seeing her success, gave her a high-five.

Suddenly Ginny realised with Madam Hooch distracted, no one was watching out for Neville. She turned and saw Draco and his gang speaking to Neville. Draco was casually tossing a small glass ball in his hand. Ginny recognized it as the Neville's Remembrall, a gift he had shown them that morning.

Fury built up quickly within her and she stomped over to the group, followed closely by an equally angry Harry.

"Give Neville his Remembrall, Malfoy!" Ginny growled, putting her broom to the side while pushing up her sleeves.

"Or you can always use it to find a life, if you ever had one," snarked Harry. Hermione and Ron laughed, having joined the group after Madam Hooch had moved on to help another student.

"I'll pass, this thing is trash anyways-" Draco started, but Madam Hooch interrupted, "You lot better get back into line before I give you all detention!"

"But Madam Hooch, Draco's stolen-" tried Ginny.

"No but's! Everyone straddle their broom and on the count of three push off the ground, then return to the ground. No flying about!" Madam Hooch continued impatiently. "I will not have this class become a free for all."

Sighing Ginny prepared to fly for the first time, the excitement growing once more.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

She pushed off the ground, rising high above the other students, before quickly landing. The wind in her hair gave her an exhilaration like no other. But suddenly a cry of panic caught her attention. Neville was rising farther and farther, and it looked like he didn't know how to land.

"Mr. Longbottom, get back here this instance!" Madam Hooch yelled at the floating boy. Misreading the scenario, she had assumed that Neville wanted to go for a joy ride and was deliberately not landing.

Ginny locked eyes with Harry and they nodded, pushing off the ground. They sped toward Neville who was now at least 50 feet in the air. More yells came from the ground but she and Harry were distracted by a more pressing problem. Neville finally lost his grip and started to fall. Joining together, Harry and Ginny went underneath him and braced. Neville collided with them and the three of them started to descend – though at a much slower rate than Neville had been going initially. The three of them landed with a loud THUMP.

Getting up, she reached out to help Neville and was surprised by a flash of green in his eyes. He was extremely pale and looked slightly green. But this vanished with a shake of his head.

"You alright Neville?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he mumbled.

Madam Hooch joined them and led Neville off to the Hospital Wing, ignoring his mumbled protests assuring her he was fine.

Once she was out of ear shot, Draco laughed loudly. "Well that was rather disappointing wasn't it Crabbe? Here I was thinking the fat lump would reveal himself."

Frowning, Ginny turned, "Shove off Malfoy and give me his Remembrall back!" she said holding out her hand.

"I'll have to pass," he said coldly and with that turned away and chucked the ball into the air away from the group.

"No!" she cried out angrily, watching the ball fly farther out of her reach. But just then a woosh of air swept by her.

It was Harry!

He intercepted the ball midway down its arc and then landed, holding it triumphantly in the air. The Gryffindors cheered and rushed him, even Hermione was grinning widely at this feat.

Their celebration was interrupted by the appearance of Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch striding towards them.

"Miss Weasley and Mr. Potter please come with me." Professor McGonagall said with a look that indicated that she shouldn't be crossed. Ginny gulped and she and Harry followed her back towards the castle. Surely, they weren't in trouble for saving Neville's life? She glanced at Harry, she was concerned more for Harry. There was no way that Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch hadn't had seen him fly just then. But if that was the case, why was she coming along?

They stopped outside the Defence against the Dark Arts classroom. Knocking on the door, Professor McGonagall called out to a quivering Professor Quirrell, "Can I borrow Wood for a moment?"

Wood?! As in Oliver Wood, a keeper and now captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team? What was this all about?

Professor McGonagall led the three of them to a nearby empty classroom. "Wood, I know you have already had quidditch tryouts, but I think you need to watch these two fly. Mr. Potter here has the potential of being your new seeker," she announced. Ginny and Harry gaped. Join the quidditch team, as first year students?!

Wood smiled and the three introduced themselves. "Meet me on the pitch tonight and we'll test you out," he said with a grin. "I hope you're as good as your brothers, Weasley."

BREAK

Ginny ignored the glare shooting daggers in her back from Katie Bell. An easy thing to do given the circumstances. The fearsome foursome was back in the common room celebrating (and thanks to Hermione) and studying. It had turned out that Wood had not yet found a seeker, so Harry just jumped into the empty position. She, however, had flown better than Katie Bell, who had just joined the team that year.

"Youngest seeker and chaser in a century!" said Hermione. "The odds of this happening were astronomical low! Although it really should be no surprise, given your genetics-"

"Wait, my parents played quidditch?" Harry asked.

"Your Dad did, he was a chaser for Gryffindor," she replied, going back to scribbling up her potions essay.

"Blimey Harry, I'd take that as a sign of good luck for the coming match," said Ron putting down his quill and sliding his essay towards Hermione. "Hermione, can you look over my essay?" he asked sweetly.

Ginny rolled her eyes, "You mean write it for you?"

"No! I wouldn't-" he stammered.

Hermione tossed it back to him with a glare, "Do your own work Ronald."

Ron groaned and the four of them started working quietly again.

Bored by the essay topic, Ginny turned her thoughts to her diary. Upon writing in it for the first time after sorting, she discovered that there was a sort of magical being within it. He called himself Tom Riddle. She wished she had more time to "talk" to him, but with all the excitement and friendship this year had shown, she had only had time to update him about classes. From his writings, he was interested in what she thought and felt. And he seemed to want to help her with any issues, but she just didn't have many problems to talk about. She made a mental note to try to connect more with this Tom Riddle soon.

None of them noticed Neville return to the common room holding a black bottle and walking like a sleepwalker.

BREAK

Finally returning from the hospital wing, Neville nervously clutched a small black bottle.

" _Just take it whenever you start feeling like that monster is going to come out"_

After he had left the hospital wing, Madam Pomphrey had chased him down to hand him the bottle. He wasn't sure why Dumbledore hadn't told him about this option, but he wasn't going to pass up on the opportunity. Within it was a calming substance meant to control Mimb. So as long as he drank it, (and avoided life or death scenarios) Mimb would not be able to return.

Heading to bed, he opted out of joining his fellow Gryffindors with homework. Today had been a far to long of a day.


	6. Chapter 6 A Spoopy Halloween (Part 1)

Hey all! I'm really excited for this chapter; this is where my whole idea for the series came from. And it's a little bit longer than most chapters! As usual, any likes, comments, questions, suggestions, reviews, etc. are appreciated.

Chapter 6 A Spoopy Halloween – Part 1: Hermione

Hermione Granger disliked many parts of Halloween; the reprise from classes, the advanced sugar content of the feast, and the immature pranks by other students. But Hermione did appreciate one part, the emptiness of the library allowed for her to finally have some peace and quiet while studying.

Or at least it was quiet, until Draco, Goyle, and Crabbe (all infrequent visitors of the library) arrived and after a brief patrol, zeroed in on their favorite target, Neville Longbottom. Seeing the aggressive group approaching, Neville quickly packed up his books. But Draco strolled up to him, smirking with glee at his luck to find someone to bully.

"Look Crabbe, it's Longbottom," Draco drawled, "Make sure you don't get to close, I've seen what happened at the Longbottom mansion."

Neville flushed a bright cherry red and attempted to exit.

"Why leave so soon Longbottom? Don't you want to see green?" Draco continued, knocking Neville's books out of his hands. Neville grabbed his books, and fled the library. Hermione hurriedly cleaned up her belongings and followed, shoving past a laughing Draco, Goyle, and Crabbe with a glare of disdain. Running into the hallway, she called out.

"Neville! Neville, where are you?"

Turning the corner, she ran over an unsurprisingly nervous Professor Quirrell. Quickly she reached to help him up, "Sorry Professor, I didn't mean to knock you over! Have you seen Neville Longbottom, he should have just come by, I think he may be upset?"

"N-no Miss Granger, I haven't seen him. B-but you should get to the Great Hall, the feast is about to start," he said twisting his hands, voice shaking slightly.

She nodded, promising to herself to find Neville later and talk to him about what had happened. What was Draco talking about? Had something bad happened at Neville's house? Briefly she reviewed Neville's most recently behavior. He had been acting quieter than usual, perhaps that was related to this supposed incident at the Longbottom's mansion. But before she could find out any of this, she had to first find Neville and make sure he was okay.

She entered the Great Hall, scanning for the familiar faces of her friends, and in particular, Neville. She was surprised when Ginny and a Ravenclaw girl with dirty blond hair ran up to her.

"Hey Hermione, this is Luna, have you seen Neville recently? Luna said he was supposed to meet her before the feast to talk about a Herbology assignment," Ginny asked, glancing at the girl beside her.

"He is normally not one to miss meetings," Luna said. She somehow looked both nervous and distant at the same time.

Luna was wearing giant radishes on her ears that seemed to change color like a muggle mood ring. She didn't seem to notice that her robes were inside out.

"Yeah, I last saw him in the library… Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were picking on him, so he left," she said. A sudden wave of guilt washed over her. Some Gryffindor she was, she didn't stand up for him at all. Refocussing on the girls in front of her she went on, "I thought he might be at the feast, but I guess not."

Luna frowned and turned to Ginny, "I'm going to look for him, you should stay here in case he comes back."

She then proceeded to skip away, hair bouncing as she went. Hermione continued to be confused on her actual feelings for the situation, but given Ginny's nonreaction accepted the behavior as normal.

"Come on Hermione, I saved you a seat away from Ron and his eating," said Ginny, using air quotes around eating.

Hermione laughed, "I would say inhaling would be a better term."

As they reached the table both she and Ginny poorly attempted to stifle a laugh at Ron who was holding six chicken wings of different flavours at the same time. The stains on his robes led Hermione to believe that he had many unsuccessful attempts proceeding their arrival.

Ron flushed at their giggling, "Hey, it is an efficient way of trying every flavor! This way I can find which wing is the best and eliminate-" It was at this point that he dropped two of the wings into the bowl of soup in front of him.

"And find out which one goes best with Minestrone!" Hermione quipped laughing.

Harry and Ginny burst out laughing and even Ron couldn't contain a small good-natured smile.

BREAK

Just as they began dessert, the doors of the Great Hall burst open, revealing a terrified Professor Quirrell.

"T-troll…. Troll in the dungeon…. t-thought you had to know," he called, clearly out of breath, and then, seemingly relived of his duty, promptly fainted.

The once organized Great Hall immediately descended into chaos, students shouted and pushed each trying to leave the hall all at once. Much of the food now was falling to the floor and sounds of plates breaking echoed across the room.

Hermione, however, stayed in her seat and turned to Dumbledore. She knew that he would know the best option, which was in her opinion, staying in the Great Hall. No need to split up students and divide the protection of the professors. Unfortually he was not in agreement.

"SILENCE! There is no need to panic, students. Prefects, lead your house back to your dormitories. Teachers will follow me to the dungeons," his words were evidently comforting enough for the students who obediently turned to their respective prefects for instructions. She began to do the same when Harry's voice interrupted her.

"Wait guys, Neville and Luna don't know about the Troll! We have to warn them," he said to the little group. Nearby Dean and Seamus nodded their agreement and moved towards them.

"But we don't know where either of them is. If they aren't together then we should split up to find them," Hermione said frowning.

"I bet Luna went to the library, since that's where you said you saw Neville last. I'll go there," Ginny said firmly.

Dean chipped in, "Seamus and I will go with you."

Dean then turned to Ron, Harry, and Hermione and continued, "I bet Neville went to the 6th floor bathroom, I found him there once after Malfoy poured sticking sap on his hair, you guys should check there."

Nodding, they all agreed.

"If we can't find our person at the location, we meet up outside the hospital wing." Ron said with an unusual authority. They all looked at him confused. His ears flushed, "That way if a teacher catches us we can fake being sick to get away."

"That's brilliant Ronald!" Hermione complimented him, impressed by his wit. His ears, if possible, turned an even darker shade of red, and she blushed in spite of herself.

The other Gryffindors started to shift towards the exit and the six of them followed, breaking off to their respective secret staircases after a brief nod to each other.

BREAK

After far too many sets of stairs, Hermione, Ron, and Harry finally made it to the 6th floor boys lavatory. As they approached, they heard sounds coming from the nearby maintenance room. It sounded as if some boy was crying. The trio looked at each other and nodded.

Hermione called out to the boy, "Neville? Is that you? Its Hermione, Ron, and Harry. We need to get back the common room, there's a Troll on the loose in the dungeons."

Suddenly there was the sound of glass breaking and a loud animal like yell. The trio ran inside and were not confronted with Neville or any other student. In front of them stood a 15-foot-tall green monster.

Hermione's brain whirled. This was most defiantly not the missing Troll because it was not a Troll at all. The only possibility that it could be a Troll was that it was a not previously identified Troll species. She searched the room quickly, while training her wand on the beast in front of her.

It hit itself in the head, yelling a mix of "GO" and "PUNY". It lunged forward at the trio and they dove out of the way. The beast rammed head first into the wall and keeled over briefly.

"Neville's not here! We have to go!" Ron yelled and the group sprinted to the door. It was locked. She turned around and saw the monster rear up for the final blow, its bright green eyes blazing with anger. Trapped, she closed her eyes and thought her final goodbyes.

But the end did not come.

She opened her eyes again and gaped. There was Harry holding a bright blue shield above him, the beast's fist held safely above her and Ron. Harry pushed the shield upwards and the monster flew across the room, smashing through the numerous shelving units and sending debris everywhere. Harry collapsed to the ground and the shield vanished, but the beast was, evidently, not on the same page.

It rose and lumbered again towards them yelling out two words, "MIMB SMASH!"

Instinct took over and Hermione found herself pointing her wand at the beast. Without hesitation and a firm swish and flick motion she preformed the lifting charm on the charging beast. It rose into the air and was stilled, unable to continue towards them. Hermione knew she couldn't hold it forever, Wingardium Leviosa was not a strong charm. It appeared that Ron understood this point as he ran to the nearest tool chest, and selected the largest blunt object available, a sledge hammer.

Hermione lifted the beast as high as the room would allow and then dropped the charm. The beast hit the ground face first and started to rise again, when Ron struck down with a massive blow with the sledge hammer.

The beast stilled.

They had beaten it!

Well, it stilled for a moment. It seemed to be shrinking. Harry got up, holding his head, as Ron rejoined the group. All three trained their wands on it, waiting to use the lift and drop technique again. But it continued to shrink more and more, losing its green skin color. Suddenly they realized that it was not a monster at all. It was Neville! Harry threw his cloak over the sleeping Neville, and moved away once more.

Hermione looked on the ground near where they had first saw Neville in his green beast form. She was surprised to see glass from a broken potion bottle but not a drop of liquid. Had Neville been transfigured by a potion? Did someone force him to take it? She tried to think of potions that would cause this transformation.

But yelling from the corridor outside distracted her. The doors burst open and Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor Quirrell, and Professor Snape strode in, each looking more cross than any of the trio had seen before.

"Professors! Something happened to Neville! I think he might have been cursed, he turned into a huge green beast and started to attack us and-" Hermione started until Professor McGonagall interrupted her.

"Mr. Longbottom was not bewitched. What I am about to tell you must stay between you three and Mr. Longbottom. He is what is called in Norse muggle mythology as a Berserker."

Noticing their confused looks, she continued, "Over exposure to magic at a young age causes a sort of tumour of magic to form in the brain. It is generally harmless, but when the victim becomes emotionally distraught or their life is threatened, the magic spills out and the victim transforms into a beast."

Neville stirred and fear flushed over his face as he looked at Professor Snape. "Professors, I- I can explain, I-"

"No need to Mr. Longbottom," Professor Sprout interrupted gently, helping him up, "Let's get you and your friends to the hospital wing. We can all talk about what happened later."

Professor Snape looked irritated but did not contradict his fellow teacher. As the group walked to the hospital wing, more and more questions conjured in Hermione's mind. She chose to speak one of them.

"What happened to the Troll?" she asked.

Professor Flitwick answered, "That was Neville, Professor Quirrell didn't recognize Neville in his state."

She nodded but made a note in her head. How would a Defence against the Dark Arts professor not know the difference between a Berserker and a Troll? Quirrell was acting suspicious and she needed to find out why.

They entered the hospital wing and were greeted by Luna, Seamus, and Ginny; all of whom were apparently waiting for them. They all had bruises and Dean was unconscious on a bed, currently be taken care of by Madam Pomfrey. Upon leaving the new group in the care of Madam Pomfrey, the professors left the room.

Looking around it was apparent that each group had a lot to catch up on.


	7. Chapter 6 A Spoopy Halloween (Part 2)

Here is part 2! As usual, any likes, comments, questions, suggestions, reviews, etc. are appreciated. Also, the Cursed Vaults are a reference from the app game Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery (its pretty fun).

Chapter 6 A Spoopy Halloween – Part 2: Seamus and Ginny

Seamus Finnigan's mother could not EVER find out what he was doing.

Emphasis on the EVER. The not so recent excitement at Hogwarts concerning the cursed vaults throughout the campus had led to the women not wanting to send him to Hogwarts at all.

" _That Dumbledore is getting more and more off the handle! He did nothing about those supposed Cursed Vaults. I've even heard from the Daily Prophet says that he was even encouraging children to investigate them themselves. Maybe I should send you to Beauxbatons instead…"_

He eventually convinced her that Hogwarts was in fact the best choice, but not without severe stipulations. First, he was not to get into trouble. Second, he would especially not engage in life-risking behavior. Third, he would not interact with trouble-makers "like those Weasley children". So, what he, Ginny Weasley, and his best friend Dean Thomas were doing would most defiantly need remain on the need to know basis. The group reached the 3rd floor and headed towards the library when suddenly, a voice called out, "Ginny, what are you doing up here?"

They turned, it was Luna Lovegood.

"Luna, there's a Troll loose in the castle and we need to find Neville and warn him," Ginny said, straight to the point as usual.

"Oh, that's unusual. Well, he's isn't in the library, I checked both floors," Luna replied with a frown.

"Alright, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are checking the 6th floor, so we should go and help them," Ginny said, already heading in the direction of the stairs. Luna skipped and caught up and the two began to chat, out of earshot of Seamus and Dean.

He and Dean walked quietly together a nervous energy surrounding their every step. Both boys jumped when the sound of a door closing interrupted the tense silence. The both dashed to the nearby wall and Seamus looked around the corner. Limping up the corridor was Snape.

Seamus turned and whispered this to Dean, who replied, "Aren't teachers supposed to be in the Dungeons right now?"

Seamus nodded wordlessly and whispered, "We need to hide! If he catches us we'll get detention for a year."

A small voice in his head said, " _And my mother will find out_."

Quickly Seamus hid behind a suit of armour and watched a Dean found another one farther along the hall to hide behind. He froze as Snape limped by, not daring to even take a breath in case Snape's bat like ears heard him. After he past by Seamus breathed a sigh of relief for a moment, until Snape paused in front of the suit of armour Dean was hidden behind. Panic hit him and considered revealing himself, when Snape abruptly decided to continue forward.

After waiting for the sounds of footsteps to disappear, Seamus called out to Dean quietly, "Hey Dean, we better go find Luna and Ginny now."

No response.

"Dean? You there, buddy?"

He walked over and peered behind the suit of armour. Dean's eyes snapped open and Seamus stumbled back a few steps. Dean in turn stood up, and strode towards him. His glaring eyes had a strange blue tint to them.

"Dean, you don't look so good, your eyes are-"

Dean interrupted him, swinging his fist wildly at Seamus's head. Seamus nimbly dodged the taller boy and continued to back away, hands held defensively in front of him.

"Dean, stop! Why are you doing this?" he cried out, blocking poorly planned swing. Dean said nothing and continued his violent onslaught.

 _He's not right. There's something wrong with his head._

Suddenly Dean lunged forward, attempting to tackle him to the ground. Instinctually, Seamus dodged to the side, while Dean, unable to slow his momentum crashed headfirst into to very suit of armour he had been hiding behind only moments before. Seamus rolled away from the mess of armour pieces and stood, looking at the hunched over Dean.

Seamus picked up the discarded helmet of the suit and approached slowly. Dean raised his head and started, "Seamus-?"

He was cut off by Seamus crashing the helmet onto his head, knocking him out cold. Seamus froze, holding the helmet, and looked down at the unconscious Dean.

 _Looks like we won't need to pretend to need the hospital wing._

BREAK

Ginny strode down the floor of the 6th floor corridor, only her speed betraying her nerves about the situation. She cursed herself mentally, s _he should not have left Harry, Ron, and Hermione alone. With Harry's luck he's probably fighting that loose troll right now._ Steps behind her, Luna called out, slightly out of breath.

"Wait Ginny, I think we might have lost Dean and Seamus".

Ginny turned and saw that neither boy were with them. She sighed impatiently and resumed her fast walking, "They know where we are, they can catch up later".

They turned the corner and confronted by a not quite unexpected sight. It was Draco and his gang, Crabbe and Goyle. They were locking the door of the 6th floor maintenance room and the laughter shared between them was harsh enough to break glass.

This wasn't necessary however as the sound of breaking glass came from inside the room, followed by a girl's scream and more crashing noises. A sudden realization struck her.

"DRACO! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Ginny yelled at the snickering blond. She drew her wand and the boys and Luna followed suite.

"This is crazy Draco! Let them out, the troll is going to kill them!" she pleaded. She eyed the door, she just needed to get past them, then she could rescue the group.

Draco, always one for a dishonorable hit, took advantage of her distraction and shot bright green sparks at her. Quick on her feet she dodged behind a suit of armour, knocking it over in the process. Righting herself, she grabbed at the suit to use a shield, but it collapsed into pieces, leaving her with the left arm.

Draco called out the same spell, and she acted quick, sliding the arm over hers. Reaching forward she blocked the spell with her armoured arm. Time seemed to freeze, and she grinned, flexing her armour at the stunned boys. Luna laughed and shot bright red sparks at the boys as well. Draco dodged in the nick of time, but the other two were not as lucky. Crying, more in embarrassment than pain, they fled the scene.

Now alone, Draco's confidence seemed to wane briefly, but suddenly, he called out, "It's easy to tell you're a blood traitor, Weasley, letting other people fight your battles for you."

His smirk did not stay long as her bright red stars hit their target square in the face.

"MISS WEASLEY!"

Ginny froze. _Oh no._

She turned and watched as an angry Professor McGonagall strode towards her, with Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor Quirrell, and Professor Snape following close behind.

"A troll on the loose in the castle and you three are dueling. What if the troll had attacked you? Explain yourselves all of you."

"Please Professor McGonagall, the troll is in there, Draco locked it in there with Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Neville! You have to help them!"

The professor gasped and they all ran past Draco, unlocking the door with a flick of the wand. She and Luna followed behind, bracing for a violent sight. The group all breathed a sigh of relief as they saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione all standing and alive. Neville was also there, but he was on the ground, apparently unconscious.

 _But where was the troll?_

BREAK

Ginny never expected lectures after 5 pm but she also didn't have much talent for divination.

So as the group sat, reunited, she started daydreaming as Professor McGonagall reiterated the importance of maintaining Neville's secret. And while she appreciated the heroism that Harry, Ron, and Hermione displayed, she was not going to award points due to it being balanced out by Ginny and Luna's "reckless dueling". Snape had decided that there was also no way of knowing that Draco had in fact locked the door, since Draco denied doing it, while ignoring that Ginny and Luna had seen him do it.

Finally, the professors left the hospital wing and Ginny broke the silence among her fellow students.

"What happened to Dean, Seamus? I thought you two would've been safe away from the troll- umm, Neville."

Seamus started to explain, "Well you see..."

Apparently, he and Dean had stayed back on the 3rd floor after hearing a strange noise. After hiding from Snape, Dean had started to act strangely, and had attacked Seamus. Seamus was able to stop him by hitting him in the head with a suit of armour. Immediately seeing the pattern, Harry interjected his thoughts.

"It must have been Snape. He was doing something in that hall, probably related to the three-headed dog, and-"

"Wait," Ginny interrupted, "A three-headed dog lives on the third floor?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked guiltily at each other. Ron explained, "You know how Harry was supposed to have that duel with Draco that he backed out on?"

Ginny nodded, and Ron continued. "Well, we may have run into it when we were hiding from Filch."

"It was standing over a hatch of some sort, so I think it may be hiding something important. Maybe the object Harry saw Hagrid take out Gringotts," Hermione added.

Suddenly Neville stirred and Harry, Ron, and Hermione all took out their wands ready for "Mimb" to emerge again. But only a set of very tired eyes looked at them, widening with the realization that they had seen his "other form".

"I know what you guys must be thinking but I promise that it wasn't what it looked like. The monster wasn't me, well it was me but-"

"Neville, stop," Harry interrupted. "Do you really think that we stop being friends with you after all that?"

"But I-it tried to kill you," Neville protested looking down in shame, "I'm not a good person to be around… I'm too dangerous."

Ginny laughed, and the rest starred at her before she shrugged, "I was nearly killed by a plant a week ago Neville. Its not new."

Luna, who had been seemly disconnected from the conversation, decided to re-enter the conversation, "Don't worry Neville we will keep you secret. Daddy says that Fudge is keeping an army of people like you in containment for fighting dragons, and we wouldn't want that to happen to you too."

Neville seemed to brighten at these words and sat up in his bed, looking more determined than Ginny had ever seen him look before.

She glanced over at Dean and Seamus, who were quietly talking a few feet away from the group, "Look guys, Dean is awake."

Upon hearing his name, Dean looked over and spoke.

"Whatever Snape is up to, we need to stop him. We have to get to the 3rd floor."

Hermione nodded, "He's right, Professor Snape is only going to get more reckless after this failure. We can't let any other student get hurt."

The rest nodded except for her twin, who voiced a concern that they had been discrediting, "What about the 3-headed dog," Ron said frowning. "We can't exactly walk past it."

"Oh, that's easy," said Luna with a smile, "We lull it to sleep with music, Daddy says that's the best way to knock out 3-headed dogs. He said that a wizard learned the technique from watching songbirds-"

Harry cut off her ramble, "Do you know how to play a musical instrument, Luna?"

"Oh no, but I do know a spell to play music".

"Then its settled," Harry continued looking around at the group, "we all sneak past the 3-headed dog tomorrow night."


	8. Chapter 7 A Team of Misfits

Hey everyone, this is a warning for any younger readers or anyone who may be distressed by violence. I don't believe the rating needs to increase, but just in case, there is some violence in this chapter and I don't want anyone to get hurt. Any likes, comments, questions, suggestions, reviews, etc. are appreciated.

Chapter 7 A Team of Misfits

Harry Potter was pretty sure he'd become "The boy who died" today. He accepted this, only hoping that he wouldn't be leading his friends to their doom as well. He looked back at his fellow students, silently walking through the darkened corridors of the third-floor hall. There wasn't much he would be able to do to dissuade them anyways; they were all stead fast in coming with him to face Snape.

Reaching the door, he took out his wand and turned to face the group.

"Luna, are you ready?"

She nodded, her wand at the ready as well. Turning back to the door, he whispered the charm to unlock it.

"Alohomora."

The door sprang open and Luna marched swiftly inside, already starting the winding conductor-like motions of the spell with each passing step.

"Musica Implementio."

The dog, who was in the process of waking from sleep, heard the soft music from Luna's wand and lay back on the ground, grumbling back to sleep. The rest of group ran to the trap door, carefully lifting the dog's paw off it and looked in. It was nearly pitch black, but the air felt warm, some what like a forest.

Harry gritted his teeth and spoke quietly to the group, "I'll go first, if anything happens get McGonagall and tell her Snape is after something of Dumbledore's." He then lowered himself as far as he could before letting go and dropping into the pit.

To his relief he landed upon a fairly soft plant rather than spikes, or some other booby trap. The room he was in was small and circular, it almost like it was one of the towers that Hogwarts castle was famous for. He stood and called to the group huddled above, "It's alright guys, go ahead and drop down".

Once more he was reminded that standing in Ginny's way was not a terribly intelligent plan. She landed on him with loud THUMP, sending both of them to the ground. The two rolled away from each other, and mumbled apologies, each thankful for the darkness of the room that concealed their blush.

Ron landed next, followed by Dean and Seamus. Harry looked up to the trapdoor and called out to their final member, "Neville, are you coming?"

"Uhm, how big of a drop is it, cause-"

Suddenly he was cut off by a cry from Ron, "HELP! The plant is-". His voice was cut off as the plant began to restrict his breathing by wrapping around him. The others quickly were overwhelmed as tendrils of the deadly plant began to attack them as well.

Hermione used her limited breath to call to Neville, "It's Devil's Snare, Neville. You need to-"

She was cut off as well. Harry began to lose consciousness as stars dominated his vision, but he felt movement beside him, and then there was a bright flash of light.

The plant receded, releasing the students. Now no longer caught halfway down the room, they fell through to the bottom, hitting the stone below as ungracefully as possible. Harry caught his breath and turned to Neville, "Neville, you saved us. Thank you, we all owe you big time."

Dean kicked a vine off Seamus and helped him up. "I never thought we would end up using Herbology in real life; I bet the professors set this up," Dean said.

Seamus glared at the retreating vine and then responded, "Yeah, and that dog must be Hagrid's."

Harry nodded at them and turned to the high wooden door. The door had a strange pattern etched in, making it looking hundreds of years old. He felt Ginny's hand on his shoulder and shared a determined look before squeaking the door open.

They were greeted by a strangely bright chamber, with incredibly high ceilings and archways. But what was most interesting about it was the tiny objects flying about the room.

"What are those, birds?" Ron said walking by him, looking up.

Harry frowned and looked closely at them, "No, they're keys."

Harry hesitated and ran over to the other door and tried the knob.

Locked.

Tried the unlocking charm.

Locked.

Hermione called over, "It must be one of these keys. But which key is it, there must hundreds flying around."

He nodded and looked up again. Ever the keen-eyed seeker, he spotted a strange key, its wings were bent, likely from being caught before. As he watched the key, he noticed that the key was also an old bronze one, very different to the brighter new steel keys.

"Harry," Ginny's voice called to him. She was holding four brooms. "I found some brooms against the wall, three of us can herd the key to you, and then you can catch it."

Dean and Seamus reached out and took two of the brooms. "We'll help too," said Seamus.

Neville, Ron, and Hermione hurried to door to catch the key once the flying group caught it. Harry pointed the broken key to the group.

"It's that one with the bent wings, Snape probably bent them when he caught it earlier."

The four of them mounted their brooms. Harry called out, "On three we go. ONE, TWO, THREE!"

They took off toward the bent keys. To Harry's surprise the keys took off as well. Towards them. The keys were like tiny missiles as they sped towards the flyers. "Split up! It might confuse them." Harry yelled to the group.

This technique worked well, the aggressive steel keys followed Seamus and Ginny, leaving Harry and Dean to go for the bent key without being accosted. As Harry snatched the key, a voice screamed out behind him. He turned and saw Ginny off her broom, falling to the ground, clutching her left arm.

There was a key sticking through her arm, flapping its wing, still attempting to reach her, and injure her more. Seamus swooped in and tackled her in the air, and the two fell to the ground, landing with a loud thump onto the concrete floor. Seamus yelled out in pain as he took the brunt of the fall onto his leg. Harry threw the key to the group on the ground and followed Dean towards the pair in pain.

The rest of the group started running towards him, but Seamus called back to them in tears, "No, keep going! You have to stop Snape."

Harry hesitated, "But you're-"

Dean interrupted him with a bellow, "NO! NOT WITHOUT YOU SEAMUS!" He landed roughly next to Seamus and grabbed his shoulder to steady him. Harry moved again to Ginny but was stopped by her forced angry words, "Get Snape, NOW!"

"Go Harry, I'll get them out," Dean said with a hint of tears in his eyes. Harry nodded and led the bloodthirsty keys around the room one more time before rushing through the door with the others. The one good thing about the keys were that they didn't seem to attack people not on brooms.

He looked at the remaining group of Ron, Hermione, and Neville. They were losing people. They had to move fast.

BREAK

BREAK

BREAK

Ginny finally understood what it meant by blinding pain.

She felt as though a thousand fires had erupted on her arm. Multiple keys were stuck within her arm alongside the largest key that was completely through her arm.

As they struggled within her limb, the pain increased more and more.

She was only vaguely aware of a pair of speckled glasses looking down at her, until the pain knocked her out completely.

BREAK

BREAK

BREAK

Harry was never more emotionally exhausted as he was now. Ginny and Seamus were severely injured. Ron had sacrificed himself in that chess game. He was alive when Harry had left him, but his leg was bleeding from the fall of the knight piece. Hermione and Neville were following closely behind as they approached the next imposing door. As quietly as they could they tiptoed into the room.

They were greeted by a hideous surprise. Lying on the floor was what was without a doubt a 30-foot mountain troll. Given the slow rise and fall of its chest it had been knocked out recently, likely by Snape as past through the room earlier that day.

Slowly they creeped across the room. Not quietly enough. The troll stirred. It stood and blinked stupidly at them before its fists curled in anger.

Hermione and Harry drew their wands, but Neville pushed them aside.

"No, Neville, you'll turn green again!" Hermione cried out, reaching forward to stop him.

"I got mistaken for a troll before," Neville said growing taller and greener, "Time to show that a troll is no match for Mimb."

And then Mimb was here and with roar it ran forward, tackling the troll into the side wall. Hermione and Harry sprinted to the door and held it open. Harry yelled over to Neville/Mimb.

"Come on Neville, we'll hold the door for you".

"NO MIMB SMASH!"

Harry glanced at Hermione and they shut the door on the fighters. Hermione turned to Harry, "He'll be okay I think," she said with an unsure voice.

"Better than us in there," Harry replied.

BREAK

BREAK

BREAK

Harry watched as Hermione disappeared behind the flames of the logic puzzle. Before she had left, she had deduced that the puzzle had been designed by Snape, likely to fool Dumbledore. He drank the potion that she had assigned him, and felt the potion cool his body before he stepped through the flame to continue.

He took a deep breath and stepped through the door to next room.

"You?!" Harry said astonished. It was the Defence against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Quirrell.

"Oh good, Potter, you are here. You were expecting Professor Snape, weren't you? I would have too, he is rather suspicious." Quirrell said with a wicked grin.

"But we saw him! He was limping, the dog-" Harry started.

"Please, this is why he is not working with the Dark Lord. His sloppy mistakes, like getting bit by that mutt, only proves he is not worthy of serving the greatest wizard who has ever lived." Quirrell interrupted, clearly irritated.

Harry looked around the room. It was the same size as all the previous rooms, but yet it was the most intimating of them all. In the center stood Quirrell and a tall mirror, escribed with some saying, perhaps written in Latin.

Harry gestured to the room around him, "Voldemort isn't here," Harry said ignoring the violent twitch that overtook Quirrell when he said Voldemort's name, "He's gone, it's just you left of his order".

"STUPID INSOLENT CHILD! The Dark Lord can not be vanquished, and he is here," He turned around and began to unroll his turban, "He is with me".

A shooting pain hit Harry's scar and he grabbed his forehead. A face beneath the turban was revealed and the bright red eyes blinked coldly at Harry. He spoke to Quirrell next, "Use the boy to get the stone."

"Potter come here, now!" Quirrell yelled reaching out to him. Harry started to run but a light flashed behind him and he fell to the ground tied with conjured ropes. Quirrell lifted him and dragged him to the mirror. "Get the stone, Potter, get it now," Quirrell said, forcing him to look into the mirror.

At first, he saw only himself and Quirrell. But then Quirrell disappeared and he was joined a red-haired woman and man who looked nearly identical to him. Behind them stood many other red heads and bespectacled faces. It was his family. The women in the front, his mother reached out to him and he fought the urge to call to her.

Quirrell interrupted the moment, "Potter, NOW!"

Harry thought frantically, _what stone? I need to get it before he figures out how to get this stone._

Suddenly he felt a lump in his pocket. He didn't dare look at it, but he had a feeling that this was the mysterious stone that Quirrell/Voldemort were looking for. He started to back away slightly from Quirrell whose distraction resulted the ropes coming loose and falling to the floor.

"HE'S GOT THE STONE, SEIZE HIM," Voldemort screamed.

Harry grabbed the stone out of his pocket and jumped to the side and knocking over the mirror. It hit the floor and the glass exploded, throwing him and Quirrell to opposite sides of the room. The force of the explosion resulted in the stone impaling its self into his hand and Harry cried out in pain.

Quirrell recovered first and ran across the room, arms out, ready to snatch the stone or throttle him. Dazed from the force of the blow, and the stone within his hand, he found himself to weak to do anything but close his eyes and raise his hands in front of him. To wait for death to arrive.

But it did not come. He looked up at Quirrell. He was hitting his hands against shield like wall in front of him. _Had he conjured that? That magical shield?_ He stood up and the shield expanded, pushing Quirrell back more and more.

Suddenly, in a fit of anger, Quirrell grabbed his wand and lifted a stream of magical glass shards and sent it hurtling at Harry. The glass struck the shield with a large force and Harry was knocked off his feet once more. But as he got up, he saw that Quirrell had also fallen to the floor. One of the shards of glass had ricocheted off his shield and into Quirrell's heart.

"I'm sorry my lord," Quirrell managed to whisper. He slouched onto the floor and Harry was certain that he would not rise again. Harry's shield dropped along with the mystery stone. Kneeling on the ground he inspected the stone. It was bright red and polished. Drops of his blood sat upon the stone, seemingly brightening the stone. Harry briefly wondered the implications of letting his blood touch such a magical object.

But his exhaustion over took him, and once more he saw stars. With no one to revive him, he was left to fall to the floor, unconscious.


	9. Chapter 8 An Okay Day

Hey friends and enemies, here is chapter 8! Hope you enjoy it. As usual, likes, comments, suggestions, reviews, follows, etc. are appreciated.

Chapter 8 An Okay Day

Ginny Weasley was okay.

She was lying in a hospital bed surrounded by her friends and family. How could she not be okay?

She watched Madam Pomphrey speak to her parents, "-but she will survive."

If she was guaranteed to survive how could she be anything but okay.

 _I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay._ She had thought this repeatedly all afternoon.

The nurse spoke gently to her. She would have to remove the arm. Her magic had reacted poorly to the keys within her arm. It resulted in what the nurse described as "cell death". And so, the arm… had to go.

But she would live. She'd be okay.

 _I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay._

Her mother told Ron off for his part in their adventure. He shouldn't have risked his life or brought her along. But she spoke nothing but soft words to her. This was good wasn't it? She was getting out of punishment.

She glanced over at the other beds in the room. Seamus was sleeping, Dean at his side, doing homework (knowing Dean, likely for both students). Harry and Neville were also sleeping. She had heard from the adults that none of the three sleeping were severely injured. She watched Hermione, Ron, and Luna head to the Great Hall to grab food for everyone.

She glanced at her left arm. It was turning darker by the hour. It was almost disturbing to watch, just like watching yourself die. She could feel a strange coldness in her arm but somehow it wasn't painful. In a way she was almost glad to be rid of it.

Madam Pomphrey handed her a dreamless sleep potion and spoke more about the procedure. Ginny managed to understand Madam Pomphrey's main message: "It will be easy, without any pain."

 _I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay._

She drank the potion.

Her eyes closed.

Break.

Her eyes opened. _Had the potion not worked? She should say something before Madam Pomphrey starts-_

She looked down at her arm, or least where it had been. It was gone. Completely gone. Her mother, tears running down her face, grasped her shoulder and spoke reassuring words of comfort.

Not wanting to panic she shut her eyes and focused on her breathing.

 _I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay._

She looked around at the concerned faces that surrounded her bedside. She noticed one was absent.

"Mom," she croaked, throat dry from lack of use, "where's Harry?"

Her mother moved aside slightly to reveal Madam Pomphrey tending to someone across the aisle. "He's still in bed sweetheart, Madam Pomphrey is checking to see why he hasn't woken up yet". The fear must have been obvious on her face, because her mother continued, "But don't worry! He'll be okay, Dumbledore said that he even looked stronger than before…." She trailed off but didn't elaborate further.

Her father cut in with the obligatory, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," she responded back, sensing this exchange may become repetitive in the coming weeks.

A feeling that was confirmed when the others came back with food. But she smiled and ate. She told them it was okay, she even joked about it not being her wand arm anyways. She stole glances across the aisle where Harry was still sleeping. _Was he alright?_

Break.

Hours past and her friends and family left. Her mother had told them that "Ginny would come home tomorrow to begin Christmas Break early and start on her recovery". She had nodded. Some time away would do her good. Maybe. Madam Pomphrey agreed to release her in the morning, and so Ginny stayed in the hospital wing as her friends went back to their dorms. Well, except for Harry, who slept on and on.

The lights that Madam Pomphrey had dimmed brightened suddenly, and she looked toward the open door to the hospital wing.

There stood Professor Dumbledore, in a set of bright purple robes and a matching wizard's hat. His eyes twinkled as he gestured at Harry, "I see you haven't taken any of Harry's sweets."

She smiled her first real smile that day. "Madam Pomphrey scares me a bit," she replied back. He sat in one of the chairs around Harry's bed, and then chuckled before grabbing a box of Every-flavour beans from Harry's bedside table, "I'll take her wrath if she finds out."

He patted the chair next to his, and she awkwardly rose from her bed and sat beside him. Now closer to Harry, she was able to see what her mother had failed to describe; Harry was looking healthier than he had ever before. The shallowness of his face was gone, and he was no longer a small bony boy. He had grown a least half a foot, and muscles had become visible even while resting. She blushed slightly at this before focusing on the big question.

"What happened to him?"

Professor Dumbledore considered the question while opening the box of sweets.

"I think a better question would be what happened to Professor Quirrell," he replied finally. He looked at her and continued on, "do you know what Professor Quirrell was after when he went through the trapdoor tonight?"

"No, sir." She said, shaking her head.

"He was after the Philosopher's Stone, an incredibly powerful magically artifact that can grant immortality," he said, nibbling on a funny grey bean before popping the whole thing in his mouth. "Hmm, black pepper."

She frowned, "But he failed. Or else Harry would be…." She couldn't finish the sentence.

"Yes, both he and Lord Voldemort failed tonight." He said with a small smile, she flinched and narrowed her eyes more.

"You-know-who was here? But I thought he was dead. Harry killed him…" she argued weakly. You-know-who couldn't be alive. Harry was supposed to be safe now. She shook her head. "Well, at least he's dead now for sure."

Professor Dumbledore shook his head, "Unfortually, I have a feeling that Lord Voldemort isn't truly dead. There are rumours of dark magic that make me suspect his spirit lingers. My question isn't if he'll return, but when."

She nodded and continued to stare at Harry's unconscious face. _He needed protection. Why wouldn't anyone protect him?_

"You should get some rest, Miss Weasley" Professor Dumbledore said patting her arm gently. She nodded again and watched him depart from the hospital wing, realising that he had never answered her question about what had happened to Harry.

Madam Pomphrey heard the door close and saw Ginny sitting out of bed. "Bed now, young lady!" she said shooing her to her own cot. She helped her with the blankets before turning down the lights and storming off to her room, muttering about disrespectful students.

Now with nothing to distract her, Ginny lay back in her bed, focusing more and more on her lack of limb. It was almost like she could still feel it there. Her brain knew what it would feel like to open and close her hand, so she could feel that but knew that there was nothing there.

It was all very confusing.

It was fine though.

She really only needed one arm to do magic and write.

She'd be okay.

With the darkness of the room came dark thoughts though, and tears welled up in her eyes. _You need both arms to ride a broom. You need both arms to play quidditch._ Ever since she had first stolen her brother's broom, she had wanted to play quidditch professionally. She had told Ron once, and her twin had been nothing but supportive, making her a Chudley Cannons card with her name and favorite number on it (#6).

But it was all gone now. Her plans were gone.

 _I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay._

She closed her eyes and whispered, "I'm not okay."


	10. Chapter 9 A Rough Game

So, it occurred to me that I never included a chapter about quidditch. Whoops! Think of this like a throwback chapter.

Also, I know the diary was more like texting than letter writing, but I like to imagine that Riddle would wait to respond so it would be more like a letter with Ginny. As usual, likes, comments, suggestions, reviews, follows, etc. are appreciated.

Chapter 9 A Rough Game

After her talk with Professor Dumbledore, Ginny found herself lying awake under the thin hospital wing sheets, still attempting to sleep but continuing to fail. The darkened room provided little relief from the boredom, and she found herself daydreaming about a happier time in her life.

It was October 26th, a bright sunshine filled morning, the normal chill of the air was absent with the air of excitement taking its place.

She and Harry were nervous and showed it almost comically reversed ways. He found himself unable to eat, instead picking at his sausages until Ron and Hermione practically force fed him. She, on the other hand, was ravenous, and gulped down 3-4 plates of bacon sandwiches before Oliver Wood grabbed her and Harry to head down to the pitch.

The group were quiet as they walked down to the locker room. Even Fred and George seemed to be taking this match seriously. As Gryffindors, nothing was more important than beating Slytherin today.

Nothing.

Her energy was building with each step.

All those years of training in secret were to pay off today, she was sure.

Not twenty minutes passed, and Ginny was walking out onto the field grasping her Cleansweep six surrounded by her teammates. She couldn't help but glance over to Harry and grit her teeth nervously. The Slytherin seeker was significantly larger than him, larger than most seekers actually. She attributed this to the slytherin team being known for trying unusual strategies, something she could not fault them for.

The seven Gryffindors watched as the Slytherin team walked out of their locker room and approach the center field. Both teams mounted their brooms and took off. Ginny flew fast around the pitch, briefly flying close to the Gryffindor bench to deliver a swift wack to her twin, knocking his hat cleanly from his head.

Smiling at the laughter and swearing from the Gryffindor bench, she then flew to the center of the field once more and watched as the referee, Madam Hooch, rose into the air after releasing the snitch and the bludgers.

The hawk-eyed woman grasped the quaffle firmly in her hands. She looked around the circle of chasers, keepers, and beaters and announced that she wanted a clean game. She also gave a pointed look at Slytherin's captain Marcus Flint, and Ginny suspected that he may be one of the reasons for the need of that message.

But she had no time to dwell on this as Madam Hooch threw the ball high into the air.

Like she and the other chasers had planned, Alicia Spinnet grabbed the ball nimbly in the air. Ginny streaked down the field ready for the pass, keeping herself open.

Alicia waited until she was feet away from the hoops to pass to her and Ginny punched the ball forward through the open hoop.

Yes! They were already 10-0!

A couple of rounds of the typical quidditch up and down the field occurred with each team taking possession. It was clear, however, that Slytherin was not playing well today. Now 5 minutes in, Gryffindor was up 50 – 0 and Marcus Flint was becoming more and more frustrated.

Ginny didn't expect him to grab the beaters bat though. With a quick swing he knocked the bludger hurtling towards Oliver Wood.

Wood took the hit and fell from the hoops, somehow managing to stay on his broom until he was a couple of feet off the ground. He hit the sand and didn't rise.

She knew that Wood would want the team to carry on and they did. Or they tried to. It was very difficult to play without a keeper and another distraction soon took the Gryffindor team's focus.

Harry, who had been flying around above the action, searching for the snitch was now holding on to his broom with one hand. She and her brothers tried to grab him, but they could not approach, Harry's broom was to fast and seemed to be rocking faster when they approached.

As quickly as the incident had started though, it stopped, and Harry was able to once more straddle his broom and resume his hunt for the snitch.

Re-energised the Gryffindor chasers rammed back into play, with Angelina Johnson pulling off an especially exciting move that resulted in Flint being forced to fly into the tent structure on the edge of the field.

Ginny had watched Angelina Johnson score again when all of a sudden, the match was finished. She looked down to the ground and spotted Harry holding the snitch high above his head. She whooped with joy. The final score was 210 – 70, she couldn't be prouder of their team.

Ginny looked over at the bed next to her. It was currently vacant, but she could remember when she and her team had been standing beside Oliver Wood as he lay recovering from the game. His resilience was inspiring, and Ginny wasn't surprised to hear that he had snuck out later that day rather than wait for Madam Pomphrey to release him.

She looked down once more at her missing arm. It was different for her, how could she come back from this? She ground her teeth and blinked away the ever-present tears. Looking over at Harry, she thought briefly of attempting to wake him. She needed to talk to someone, anyone.

Then she got an idea. She could talk to Tom!

Reaching into her bookbag, she pulled out a leather-bound diary and flipped to the first page. She found herself having to keep the page open by holding the front page of the book down with her leg. Dipping her quill into the ink well, she began to write.

Dear Tom,

Hi Tom! I hope you are well. I… well… I'm not. I lost my arm. It seems silly saying it but its gone forever and I miss it. I hate looking at this stump and I feel so damn useless. Do you have any advice? I'd really appreciate it.

Best Regards,

Ginny

Dear Ginny,

I am devastated to here of your difficulties and empathise deeply with your pain. I must ask, how did this atrocious thing happen? I wish I could be there with you to ease your pain. I terms of advice, I confess I might be disappointing. You are however, a woman of immense strength and I assure you that you can carry on. I desire to hear more of your troubles as I sense that it will ease your burden.

Hoping to hear more from you,

Tom Riddle


	11. Chapter 10 A Couple of Letters

Hey guys here's another chapter. Sorry, but it is very short. As usual, likes, comments, suggestions, reviews, follows, etc. are appreciated.

Chapter 10 A Couple of Letters

Dear Tom,

Today was hard…. I broke two mugs while trying to serve tea with my parents. I know they weren't mad but…

It's been 5 weeks and I still feel awful. Mum wants to yell at me for not making my bed or screwing up my chores, but she doesn't. She feels sorry for me. Dad does too.

I wish we could meet in real life. Sometimes I feel like you are the only one who really gets me. And doesn't feel sorry for me.

I really liked the poem you sent yesterday…. It was kinda dark but I liked it. Did you write it? I hope it's not weird to say, but I kinda picture you as the romantic poet type.

Hope you are well,

Ginny

Dearest Ginny,

It pains me to hear that you are hurting. I hope that you know that I will ALWAYS be here for you. My parents always kept secrets from me too. Eventually you must cut people who behave in such a way out of your life. They only want to deceive you. Why do you think that they forced you to leave Hogwarts?

It appears that we are both trapped in a way. You in your parent's house and me in this journal. But, it mustn't be this way forever! This journal's magic weakens at places such as Hogwarts. You only need to bring me there and I can be free. Then we can be free!

About the poem, I must confess that I did write it. I was inspired by you, dearest. Just thinking of you made me feel as though I was a musician and the lines flowed freely, as if I was conducting sweet music. Before I was trapped in here…. I was a musician in a more physical form. I wish to return to this form and be with you, conducting real music with my fingers rather than my thoughts.

Forever Yours,

Tom

Dearest Tom,

I know its been a while since we last spoke, my parents forced me to participate in the Christmas holidays and I couldn't get away to write you. But I have finally convinced them to let me go back to Hogwarts! I feel as if we are mere days from meeting in real life and my heart soars at the thought. I've been thinking Tom, when you become real… Are you going to attend Hogwarts with me? I can't wait to see you in real life. Maybe if you come very quickly after we return to Hogwarts, I can skip over the pity from my friends. And you can meet Harry! He's been writing me but… I just can't think of what to say. He blames himself for what happened and of course I don't agree, but I don't know. Why did it have to happen to me? I feel like I should apologize for getting hurt and losing my arm but that seems silly. Oh and you can meet everyone else of course.

See you soon and all my love,

Ginny


	12. Chapter 11 A Small Sidequest

Sorry for such a delay, had a little bit of writer's block. As usual, likes, comments, suggestions, reviews, follows, etc. are appreciated.

Chapter 11 A Small Sidequest

"DUCK!"

James Potter was used to hearing such a phrase, he was an Auror after all. But even though dark wizard catchers rarely had experienced calm in the field these days, he had to admit usually what he was ducking from wasn't an actual duck.

James hit the ground fast and looked up to watch a mallard duck grow to a much larger size, having been hit by an engorio charm. The gigantic foul flew though air and smashed down the three Death Eaters chasing him and his partner, Sirius Black.

Leaning on the brick wall of the alley, the other man waited for him to catch-up and clapped him on shoulder.

"Did you see their faces, Prongs? No one ever expects us to use non-combat magic combatively!" Sirius said laughing.

James snickered and quickly used "Reducio" on the duck who was now starting to step on the unconscious Death Eaters.

"I have to say I didn't Padfoot, as I was too busy making sure I didn't also receive a feather sandwich," he retorted back, no real bite to his words.

Sirius rolled his eyes and took out the "very important do not lose it or else" device gifted to him by James' wife, Lily. "Well we better place the tracker before they wake up then." He said suddenly serious.

James nodded, taking the device, and crept over the three unconscious men. He recognized Rosier and gritted his teeth. The boy had been a strict no-nonsense Slytherin prefect when he first started at Hogwarts, the man however had joined up with Voldemort mere days after graduation. He didn't hesitate to chose Rosier as the one to track. The other two were clearly to young to be a high-ranking Death Eater and that was what the order needed for this experiment. He placed the device and activated it. It was invisible and weightless. According to Lily, Rosier could touch it an never know it was there.

He quickly used a pair of stunning spells on the other two Death Eaters, and then ran back to Sirius, who was trying to fix his newly torn jacket. "Ready?" James asked him.

"Unfortually," replied Sirius pointing his wand at Rosier and whispering, "Rennervate".

The Death Eater stirred and looked around wincing. James and Sirius acted fast.

"Quick! Stun him before he gets away!" James yelled. The two started throwing random stunning spells down the alley.

This was the only cue Rosier needed, and with a loud bang, the Death Eater had vanished.

They grinned at each other. The plan had worked perfectly, and now they just needed to wait for Rosier to reach his location. The spell on the device wouldn't report on the location for other 14 hours. They had planned for this due to their reports stating that an important meeting would be occurring that coming Tuesday.

He and Sirius grabbed the two other men and apparated to the ministry to detain them. It was looking that the Order may have finally received the break it dearly needed.

Around 14 hours of relaxing and listening to too much "Roxanne" later

"Potter! Black! We have a location on Rosier." Lily cried running into the break room, waving a single sheet of parchment for the two men to see.

They jumped up and raced across the room to see the location written on the paper. It was an address.

389 Shearling Crescent

"We have people looking in address books right now to figure out where you can apparate to, so just hold-" Lily started before being interrupted by Sirius. "I know where that is".

"Where?" He and Lily said impatiently, smirking slightly at each other.

Sirius sighed and went to the map of the United Kingdom sitting on the maroon colored wall. It was covered in pins of varying colors, each signifying different Death Eater hideouts or places of interest. He pointed to a small town in Scotland.

"Its some-a-ways north of this town, Lockerbie," he said, "We can apparate in and then sneak up on the place."

James nodded and turned to his wife, "Are the suits ready?"

"Your guy's suits are, not mine though," she replied, clearly irritated. She flicked her wand and his and Sirius's suit appeared on the table. "The wings on mine caused some issues with the shrink charm, so I'm going to need more time to work out the kinks."

Sirius took his and ran off to change. Lily reached out and gently touched James' face. "Be safe out there okay? You know Voldemort is looking for us after that raid last month. Just…. be safe." Her bright green eyes bore into him in that moment, and for a brief second, he wanted to quit the mission. To leave and live in safety with his wife forever. But the thought left just as quickly and he reminded himself that this privilege of running wouldn't be afforded to many people. It was his duty to protect them, all of them. He reached and embraced Lily.

"Don't worry Lils, I won't leave you."

Sirius re-entered and smirked at the couple. "Oi, you two, don't you know there's a war going on? We got to hit the road, Prongs."

They split apart, and he ran off to change. Upon returning, he found Lily and Sirius discussing extraction plans in case they were spotted.

"None of this information is going to worth losing you two in the field," Lily was saying, "if you even think you are compromised… Leave".

"Aww Evans, you care so much," Sirius replied with a smirk.

"Please, Black. You know the suits are of outmost importance to the order. They are the only sure-fire way to shrink people without… negative consequences. But you two knuckleheads are great too." She said, laughing at his shocked expression before continuing. "Alright, you have two hours to find the place and infiltrate it before the meeting is supposed to start. Good luck and be safe," she said. James and Sirius gripped hands and turned on the spot.

Hopefully this would be a second time's the charm scenario. Hopefully.


End file.
